Baskets
by only here in your arms
Summary: Gilmore Girls inspired - Eli has no choice but to put up a basket full of his favorite things up for bidding for Degrassi's first annual "Buy a Basket" fundraiser. A niner wants it but who will get it?


**One-shot! **

**I know I haven't been updating and that's because of no time and lack of ideas. Don't know when I'll be updating but keep a look out.**

**Thanks for reading.**

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Degrassi has a lot of events, most of which Eli Goldsworthy finds incredibly ridiculous, but this one was taking the cake. What's even worse is that his English teacher is requiring all of the boys in his class to participate as a grade. Eli loves English, but at this moment in time, he completely despises it.

This was the first year that Degrassi was holding a "Buy a Basket" fundraiser and when Eli heard of this, he turned to Adam and asked, "Who the hell would buy a basket?" Adam was curious about it though, much to Eli's disgust, and after an unnecessarily long explanation by the president and mastermind herself Katie Matlin, they found out that it was where someone, this year a boy, fills a basket full of random items of their choosing and a girl bids to buy it. But there was a catch; not only does the girl receive the basket but they get a date with the basket maker themselves.

"I didn't like the bachelor auction idea last year," Katie added onto the explanation. "So I thought that adding a sort of surprise element, and a few goodies, would spice it up a little more."

"So you're saying that depending on what the person puts in their basket, that's how they'll get a date or not?" Adam asked further.

"Exactly," Katie nodded. "I'm sure there'll be couples who know which basket is their boyfriend's so they'll bid on that one but what about the single guys? If a girl finds a basket that has things that she's interested in, maybe it'll be a match made in heaven. More relationships now should be based on common interests, not simply how someone looks or what reputation they have."

Eli had to agree with the school president there. He was often disgusted to see such shallow relationships roaming the halls of Degrassi. He was also unimpressed to see couples that just makeout in the middle of the hallway and some of those couples seem to find that his locker is the best place to do it in front of.

"But what if some guy makes a basket and no one bids on it? Or what if the guy or the girl doesn't like the person who bid or made the basket?" Eli inquired, trying to sound bored but wanting to know the answer.

"Well," Katie sighed. "We're hoping that that doesn't happen. It's the first year we're trying it out, it's simply a test run."

"Sign me up," Adam told Katie, making the bronze haired girl smile. Eli shot his best friend a look of disbelief though. "What?" Adam shrugged. "I think it's a cool idea, plus we have to do it anyways. What if I find a girl that likes comic books and video games like I do? What if this is really my only chance to find someone who'll see me first for what stuff I like to do for fun rather than what's under my clothes or what they've heard of me?"

With that kind of reasoning, Eli couldn't fight. "Fine," he groaned. "Sign me up too. But don't expect any grandiose basket. I'm not gonna try to get a date out of this either."

"We never said it has to be a 'date date'," Katie replied annoyed as she wrote down Eli's name. "Just an hour of hanging out, talking about the basket, maybe share common interests. We're not expecting you to get married."

"Well lookie here." Eli turned his head to find his female partner in crime Fiona walking towards him. "Two of Degrassi's finest men signing up for what seems to be a classier bachelor auction. I thought you two were above these things!" Eli knew that Fiona was only kidding but he could also sense that she was insulting the fundraiser because it was Katie Matlin's doing. If Fiona's hatred of Katie wasn't obvious enough, Fiona's narrowing eyes definitely did the trick.

"Our English teacher is making us do it," Adam told her. "Besides, I think it's a cool idea."

"Oh I'm not here to stop you," Fiona said.

"Then what are you here for then?" Katie asked.

"To tell Eli that Imogen and I overheard some girl say that she was going to bid on your basket," Fiona turned to Eli with a raised brow. "But, there's something you should know about this girl."

"What?"

Fiona stepped to her right, making Eli turn his body. "Look over my shoulder," Fiona ordered. "But do it casually." Eli did what he was told. "Now, look for a girl in a yellow polo."

Eli rolled his eyes. "Fiona, the cafeteria is full of Grade Nines."

"Oh right. Fine, look for a niner with really big curly, dark hair."

Eli scanned the room and his eyes landed on a very smiley girl, big hair with a bow in it, looking into a mirror and putting lipstick on her lips. "Okay I see her."

"Okay, her name is Tori," Fiona said. "She may look cute but trust me, you do not want her to bid on your basket."

"I thought she had a boyfriend," Adam confusedly said. "Some guy named Zig."

"They broke up apparently, we heard her talking in the bathroom about the breakup and how she wanted to move on. Then she started talking about you," Fiona pointed at Eli. "She heard about how you wrote a play for your ex last year and she said, and I quote, 'If he wrote a play about his ex, imagine what he'd do for his girlfriend!'"

Eli looked over Fiona's shoulder again and saw that the niner just turned her head, hiding her face in her hair, and he realized that she had been looking at him. "How would she know which basket's mine?" Eli asked.

"She'd probably find out," Fiona said. "But you have to make sure she doesn't bid on it."

"How would I do that?"

"Find someone who will!"

That was not an easy task. The only person Eli felt comfortable to ask was Imogen but she had to decline. "I can't make it to the auction," she told him as they ate their breakfast at the bar of The Dot. "My dad and I going to an art museum that afternoon so I won't be able to prevent that Tori girl from getting that date with you that she wants. But why not try it out? Who knows, she might be someone you'd like."

"I overheard her talking to this blonde girl yesterday," Eli started to say. "And all she was talking about was how 'romantic' she heard I was. She had heard about what I did last year with my car and she said that that was the sweetest thing she'd ever heard. Who says that?"

"Okay fine, maybe she's someone you don't want to have bid on your basket but maybe someone else will?"

Eli hoped that Imogen was right.

The day of the auction Eli delivered his basket to the gym. His was a small sized black basket filled with different types of books. A Palahniuk, a collection of Poe poems, two CD's, and his favorite type of candy. When he put his basket on the stage where all of the other baskets were, he immediately spotted Adam's basket. The unmistakable blue basket with a bag of popcorn, several dvds, comic books, and his favorite video game.

After school, the auction began once the gym was full of the basket makers on one side and girls willing to bid for the fundraiser on the other. Eli stood next to Adam, trying to dodge the various stares of Tori.

"Okay, Basket Number 16," Katie said on stage, holding Adam's basket. Eli noticed Adam standing up straighter and he couldn't help but laugh. "Seems to me that this guy likes to spend time in the life of superheroes considering all of these relate to superheroes. Bidding will start at $5."

Eli wasn't surprised that a girls started to raise their bidding paddles for Adam's basket and he nudged Adam's side when the bidding went up to $25.

"$40," someone said in the crowd. Eli couldn't see who was holding the paddle, the girl must be small since she was swallowed by the crowd, but he was happy to see someone bid such a high price.

"Well then," Katie smirked to herself and Eli didn't know why but he was happy when Katie banged her gavel. "Basket Number 16 will go to Maya Matlin. Will the basket maker please step forward?"

Adam needed a nudge to move so Eli pushed him. Adam stumbled to the front and Eli finally saw the winner of the basket. A small little blonde girl, a niner by the color of her polo, and wearing a denim jacket that made him think of someone else. But Eli felt very happy for Adam, who looked equally happy as well.

"Next is Basket Number 17, one with several books. Hmm…this is a Palahniuk, looks to be a used copy, Edgar Allan Poe, nice choice, CD's that I don't know the bands of, and a box of M&M's. Bidding will start at $7."

Eli internally groaned when the first paddle that shot up was Tori's. Then afterwards he just decided to tune the bidding out. He didn't want to see Tori wining his basket and squealing that she had gotten a date with him. He didn't want to see or hear any of it. But when he heard someone say $60, which was probably out of the price range of a niner, his head shot up. All he heard now was Tori asking some girl to lend her money.

"Wow, high price! Going once…going twice…sold! Will the basket maker please set forward?"

Eli walked towards the stage, feeling many people looking at him, but when he did make it to the stage, the person standing beside Katie took him by surprise.

"Clare?"

Clare smiled sheepishly at Eli and gave her money to Katie. Katie then gave Clare the basket and leaned towards the microphone. "I wonder if anyone'll top that."

After the entire fundraiser, Eli stepped out of the gym and searched around for Clare. Katie announced that the basket makers and bidders would have the rest of the afternoon for their "date" and must return tomorrow to answer a questionnaire about how it went. Eli weaved through the crowd and found Clare waiting at the main entrance.

"Umm…ready to go?" Eli asked her awkwardly.

"Yeah," Clare answered. She picked up her basket from the ground but Eli went to take it out of her hands.

"Let me," he offered. Clare surrendered the basket, a smile forming on her face. Eli pushed the door open with his side and let Clare through before they stepped down the stairs side by side.

"Okay, tell me," Eli said after a minute of silence. "Did Fiona put you up to this?"

"Fiona?" Clare questioned. "No. No one put me up to it."

Eli's brows raised and he felt very relieved. "Then why'd you bid on my basket? You had to have known it was mine."

"The basket had the only Palahniuk book that I don't have," Clare said without looking at Eli. "And yes, I did know it was yours. Who else has the same taste in books? I just thought that since I wanted the book anyways, I'd like to have someone to talk to about it."

Clare finally turned her head to Eli and he looked at her, seeing none of what happened in their past in her eyes, but only a fresh, new beginning.

"And besides, I knew you'd hate it if you had to spend ten minutes with the other girl who was bidding on your basket," Clare continued. "I thought I did you a favor."

"Thank you," Eli said sincerely. "But that was a lot of money."

"I found a hundred bucks in my locker this morning," Clare told him and Eli was suddenly alert. "Thought I'd give it to Simpson but I thought that the money went to good use. It was a fundraiser for the school."

Eli was grateful and happy to have gotten this chance to speak with Clare again. They stopped at The Dot to order coffees and while Clare went to the bathroom, Eli pulled out his phone and sent a text to Fiona.

"_I know it was you. Thank you."_


End file.
